


Hugging Your Test Subjects: Handplates AU Analysis

by ArgentDandelion



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Handplates (Undertale), Dubious Ethics, Gen, Manipulation, Nonfiction, Pragmatic Villainy, Psychology, Villains, social skills
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2018-03-20
Packaged: 2020-09-28 16:14:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20428790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArgentDandelion/pseuds/ArgentDandelion
Summary: Points out W.D. Gaster of Handplates is terrible at psychologically managing/manipulating others, and how his inability to adjust his mindset and work with his own psychology leads to pointless and counterproductive cruelty.





	Hugging Your Test Subjects: Handplates AU Analysis

**Summary: Acting overtly cruel and callous sabotages Gaster’s effectiveness in achieving his goals. Faked affection and positive regard would help him manipulate Sans and Papyrus more effectively, and he probably knows this. Yet he doesn’t use a more effective technique. Why?**

  


(Cropped from its original image at [“previously on this horrorshow”](http://zarla-s.tumblr.com/post/139694767203/previously-on-this-horrorshow-also))

Gaster is aloof and callous towards his test subjects. They are regularly the subject of agonizing experiments, which Gaster gives little (if any) explanation for. Various cruelties (e.g., breaking a bone to demonstrate a point, solitary confinement) add onto this, building up fear, pain, resentment and helplessness in his test subjects. Consequently, his test subjects want to escape the lab, as improbable as that is. All this establishes that Sans and Papyrus obey Gaster only out of fear and helplessness, and this has backfired on him a few times.

Gaster would like to regard Sans and Papyrus as living tools, as that was what they were designed to be, and if they were tools his treatment would not be ethically unsound. Yet their behavior repeatedly reminds Gaster that they are not.  
Gaster knows they are susceptible to psychological damage that would impede their usefulness to him. He also knows they respond well to “positive reinforcement”, but gives it only rarely. In addition, he is aware of their need for “psychological support”, but leaves fulfillment of each test subject’s needs to the other. (this backfires if the two should ever disagree)

All this shows Gaster knows they have psychological needs, and that Gaster knows certain psychological techniques are effective. So why doesn’t he manipulate by occasionally using the positive reinforcement of affection? (e.g., a hug) After all, it worked quite well for_[Tangled](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FTangled&t=NGYyYjVjOWY3ODQyYmZjMTI2OTA1YWM2ZjVkZTlkYjQ3MTIzNmJkMyx2TnhvNUQ2WA%3D%3D&b=t%3AHZZTbr56CX-Pu8cYzedJTw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fargentdandelion.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F172080021566%2Fhugging-your-test-subjects-handplates-au-analysis&m=1)_’s Mother Gothel.

**What He Should Do [(For Pragmatic Villainy)](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Ftvtropes.org%2Fpmwiki%2Fpmwiki.php%2FMain%2FPragmaticVillainy&t=NjIyMTQ1MDQ4NWYzNjdmNWE1M2I2N2ZlMDdhZTVmMTUwN2Q0MzQ1NSx2TnhvNUQ2WA%3D%3D&b=t%3AHZZTbr56CX-Pu8cYzedJTw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fargentdandelion.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F172080021566%2Fhugging-your-test-subjects-handplates-au-analysis&m=1)**

(Cropped from its original image at [this source](http://zarla-s.tumblr.com/post/147670784844/will-gaster-ever-get-to-hug-them-or-show-them))

Generally, children respond well to positive reinforcement, including affection.[1](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/172080021566/hugging-your-test-subjects-handplates-au-analysis#fn:1) One of Gothel’s tools in ensuring Rapunzel was obedient to her was acting seemingly affectionate and caring. Her techniques were remarkably effective, given Rapunzel was 18 by the time of the movie’s main events and wanted to leave to “see the lights”.

Indeed, Gothel’s psychological conditioning was so effective that even after Flynn Ryder shows up and persuades Rapunzel to leave, the normally upbeat Rapunzel (intermittently) becomes self-loathing and anxious about disobeying Gothel.[2](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/172080021566/hugging-your-test-subjects-handplates-au-analysis#fn:2) Adding to this, the psychological conditioning was so strong that, even after Rapunzel knew Gothel was a bad guy, she still tried to save her from falling out of the tower by reflex.[3](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/172080021566/hugging-your-test-subjects-handplates-au-analysis#fn:3)

In contrast, Gaster’s maltreatment of Sans leads to so much resentment Sans has tried to hurt him several times,[4](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/172080021566/hugging-your-test-subjects-handplates-au-analysis#fn:4) and would have successfully killed him at one point were it not for Papyrus healing Gaster.

**So That’s Effective. Why Doesn’t Gaster Do It?**

As a villain, Gothel is highly effective in achieving her goals, not because Rapunzel fears her but because she (initially) loves Gothel. Gothel shows she is capable of separating seemingly affectionate behaviors towards Rapunzel from her true feelings about her as a means to an end: namely, eternal youth.[5](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/172080021566/hugging-your-test-subjects-handplates-au-analysis#fn:5)  
Gaster, however, cannot separate seemingly kind, caring actions from his true thoughts and feelings, or at least believes he cannot. He believes that, by appearing kind and caring to them, he may form a genuine emotional attachment to them and so “[compromise his objectivity](http://zarla-s.tumblr.com/post/139694767203/previously-on-this-horrorshow-also)” and “threaten the experiment”.

If he comes to think of them as people after treating them as such, he may face great guilt and/or discomfort and consequently stop his experiments. After all, his gruesome experiments are fine on objects but not on people.  
If Gaster were only capable of persuading himself they remained objects despite treating them like people, he’d be able to hug Papyrus and not think of it as “hugging a child” but as “operating a complex tool in an unorthodox but highly effective manner.”

* * *

For more on Handplates:  
[“Bone Bros Made From Toes: Handplates AU Analysis”](http://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/163419830412/bone-bros-made-from-toes-handplates-au-analysis)

For more on abusive relationships in an Undertale-themed context, see [nochocolate](http://nochocolate.tumblr.com/)’s “[Asriel: How His Behavior Points to a Case of Abuse](http://nochocolate.tumblr.com/post/142424746470/asriel-how-his-behaviour-points-to-a-case-of)”.

For zarla-s’s Handplates AU:  
[Handplates AU Index](http://zarla-s.tumblr.com/post/139516306171/okay-i-get-a-lot-of-questions-about-what-order-the)

* * *

* * *

  1. “Skinner described the effects of generalized conditioned reinforcers such as praise and affection [such as hugs], which are learned and have the power to reinforce a great number of different behaviors.”-[Personality Theories](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DUe4WAAAAQBAJ%26lpg%3DPP1%26pg%3DPA202%23v%3Donepage%26q%26f%3Dfalse&t=NjU2MGM4YjdhNTQzNmVmMTY1YTdkZDFlMTVlNjI5NWI1YzE2NzhjZSx2TnhvNUQ2WA%3D%3D&b=t%3AHZZTbr56CX-Pu8cYzedJTw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fargentdandelion.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F172080021566%2Fhugging-your-test-subjects-handplates-au-analysis&m=1) (Barbara Engler) [↩︎](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/172080021566/hugging-your-test-subjects-handplates-au-analysis#fnref:1)

  2. A brief illustration: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awvSykRdR4s ](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DawvSykRdR4s%25C2%25A0&t=N2QzODk2ZWNhNDI4NzFlN2I4ZmViODFjOGFiNjEwYTY5ZTZmOTNlYix2TnhvNUQ2WA%3D%3D&b=t%3AHZZTbr56CX-Pu8cYzedJTw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fargentdandelion.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F172080021566%2Fhugging-your-test-subjects-handplates-au-analysis&m=1)[↩︎](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/172080021566/hugging-your-test-subjects-handplates-au-analysis#fnref:2)

  3. Papyrus attempting to save Gaster from falling into the CORE parallels this, but he ultimately fails because of other conditioning: namely, that bad things will happen if he uses blue magic. [↩︎](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/172080021566/hugging-your-test-subjects-handplates-au-analysis#fnref:3)

  4. Paralleling this, researchers who work in negative reinforcement of rats (e.g., giving them electric shocks) must wear heavy gloves to avoid being scratched and bitten by rats who quickly learn they do not want to go into Skinner boxes. -[Psychology](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DFKceSivxCr4C%26lpg%3DPA114%26dq%3Dpetted%252C%2520positive%2520reinforcement%252C%2520rats%2520OR%2520mice%26pg%3DPA114%23v%3Donepage%26q%3Dpetted%2C%2520positive%2520reinforcement%2C%2520rats%2520OR%2520mice%26f%3Dfalse&t=MDE2ZTdhZjUwMDUwZjc5MDRhNjI5YWQ0MGU1NzIwYTkyOWMxNGZhYyx2TnhvNUQ2WA%3D%3D&b=t%3AHZZTbr56CX-Pu8cYzedJTw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fargentdandelion.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F172080021566%2Fhugging-your-test-subjects-handplates-au-analysis&m=1), Don Baucum [↩︎](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/172080021566/hugging-your-test-subjects-handplates-au-analysis#fnref:4)

  5. That she often insults or belittles Rapunzel at the same time she is acting seemingly affectionate and caring probably helps her to this end. ([This](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DINZGW13GpC0&t=NGFkNmFhNzQ2NWZlMDljMzgyNjY4M2Q0ODNmNWNjODUyMjljMDk2Yyx2TnhvNUQ2WA%3D%3D&b=t%3AHZZTbr56CX-Pu8cYzedJTw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fargentdandelion.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F172080021566%2Fhugging-your-test-subjects-handplates-au-analysis&m=1) video shows two examples of such behavior) [↩︎](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/172080021566/hugging-your-test-subjects-handplates-au-analysis#fnref:5)


End file.
